Identity Politics and Populism in Europe

Abstract

We review the literature on the rise of identity politics and populism in Europe. Populist parties have gained large vote shares since the Great Recession of 2008. We observe in many countries, and even in the European Parliament, a transformation of the main dimension of politics from the left–right cleavage to a new cleavage opposing the mainstream parties to populist parties. We examine how this transformation relates to changes in voter attitudes and the adjustment of political parties to these changes. Two main types of causes for the rise of populism have emerged: economic and cultural. In reviewing the evidence, we find a complex interaction between economic and cultural factors. Economic anxiety among large groups of voters related to the Great Recession and austerity policies triggers a heightened receptivity to the messages of cultural backlash from populist parties.

Digital populism, digital newswork and the concept of journalistic competence: the Philippine condition

“…Populism as a concept has been defined and studied in many ways, so much so that the ‘definition is not always clear’ (Noury and Roland, 2020: 423) or the definition is often disputed. In some works, populism is a political strategy, in others a political communication style, an ideology, or a ‘project of political renewal’ (Brubaker, 2017; Kriesi, 2018 cited by Noury and Roland, 2020: 423).…”

“…Populism as a concept has been defined and studied in many ways, so much so that the ‘definition is not always clear’ (Noury and Roland, 2020: 423) or the definition is often disputed. In some works, populism is a political strategy, in others a political communication style, an ideology, or a ‘project of political renewal’ (Brubaker, 2017; Kriesi, 2018 cited by Noury and Roland, 2020: 423). Perhaps, the most inclusive is the oft-cited definition of Mudde (2007): Populism is athin-centered ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into two homogeneous and antagonistic groups, ‘the pure people’ versus the ‘corrupt elite’, and which argues that politics should be an expression of the volonté générale (general will) of the people.…”

“…Being ‘thin-centered’ means that populism can ‘ally with all sorts of ideologies’ (Noury and Roland, 2020: 424), which would explain the presence of radical left and radical right populisms in different countries. Populists believe or project an image that ‘they are the only true and virtuous people whose views are underrepresented in politics and in the media’ (Schroeder, 2019).…”

“…In their review of literature on populism, Noury and Roland (2020) arrived at cultural and economic factors that could explain populism, apart from the role of disinformation in social media. They explained that populist parties, especially the right-wing, ‘exploited the economic trauma and anxiety’ of the population to push forth their political agenda (Noury and Roland, 2020: 435). This could explain the rise of populism following an economic crisis, as in the case of radical right populism in some European countries during and after the Great Recession in 2008 (Pappas and Kriesi, 2015).…”

“…This could explain the rise of populism following an economic crisis, as in the case of radical right populism in some European countries during and after the Great Recession in 2008 (Pappas and Kriesi, 2015). Cultural factors, meanwhile, are a matter of identity and values, as seen in the rise of populist parties espousing the traditional or conservative values believed to be under threat by those of ‘othered’ groups (Noury and Roland, 2020: 433), or of parties marketing an image that appeal to their supporters’ sense of identity (i.e. the supporters of populist leaders see their ideals embodied in the declarations and political agenda of the latter).…”